JimT wrote:

http://www.mewsgirl.com/fountain.jpg


Looks nice. What was the major expense?

Thank you - there was no one expensive item. All together, I probably put in
$300 worth of materials, including the pump and lighting.

Building it up was pretty complex and probably just a little overkill. Started
with 1/2" plywood with 1/4" hardiboard on top, then used epoxy thinset to set
the tile. Used some 2x3 galvanized roofing drip strip painted brown to set the
side edges.

The top and bottom boxes are just basic white wood. Started out with 1/8"
plexiglass with the seams set in silicone caulk in the bottom, but couldn't get
it water tight. A seamless black bin bag works just fine. The pump is a magnetic
fountain pump. The trick is to get one rated for the lift and volume of water.

Built a PVC T shaped distributor pipe at the top with smaller to larger holes
drilled out to keep the flow the same across. Had a sheet metal shop bend a
couple of pieces of metal to hold the pipe and provide a sloped shelf for the
water to follow.

It works fine, but the killer is the weight. When you add up the tile,
hardiboard and plywood, you're probably talking 150 pounds. I had the sheet
metal shop build me a bracket for the wall and back of the fountain. It takes
two guys to lift it. If I did it again I'd just do a French cleat, but that
wouldn't change the weight.